Ex-Spurs roundup: Recalling Duncan, Bonner, Diaw, Joseph and Splitter

Tim Duncan shows fans how many league titles the Spurs have won during the 2014 river parade.

Tim Duncan shows fans how many league titles the Spurs have won during the 2014 river parade.

Photo: Michael Thomas /Associated Press

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Popular Spur Matt Bonner became an analyst on the franchise’s broadcast team on Jan. 10.

Popular Spur Matt Bonner became an analyst on the franchise’s broadcast team on Jan. 10.

Photo: Andy Lyons /Getty Images

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Boris Diaw has played a key role in helping to lead Utah ack to the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

Boris Diaw has played a key role in helping to lead Utah ack to the playoffs for the first time since 2012.

Photo: Eric Gay /Associated Press

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Cory Joseph has become the primary backup for Toronto Raptors star point guard Kyle Lowry.

Cory Joseph has become the primary backup for Toronto Raptors star point guard Kyle Lowry.

Photo: Boris Streubel /Getty Images

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Tiago Splitter started the season in Atlanta but was traded to Philadelphia in February.

Tiago Splitter started the season in Atlanta but was traded to Philadelphia in February.

Photo: David Zalubowski /Associated Press

Ex-Spurs roundup: Recalling Duncan, Bonner, Diaw, Joseph and Splitter

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As the Spurs begin pursuit of their sixth NBA championship, much has changed in the three years since they won their fifth.

The Spurs, who hadn’t won a championship since 2007, got past Dallas in the first round in a hard-fought, seven game series. They beat Portland in five games in the second round. They won their Western Conference finals series against Oklahoma City in six games. And they prevailed in the NBA Finals, whipping Miami in five games.

Of the 15 players that were on that 2014 roster, five are still with the Spurs today; Kawhi Leonard, Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Danny Green and Patty

Here’s a look at some of the key players on that team who are no longer with the Spurs, and what they’re up to now:

Tim Duncan

Duncan retired last summer after 19 seasons with the Spurs, each of which resulted in a playoff appearance.

The 40-year-old, who is widely considered to be the greatest power forward of all time, helped the Spurs win all five of their championships.

He was named the league’s Most Valuable Player twice and is the 14th-leading scorer in NBA history (26,496 points), the sixth-leading rebounder (15,091) and ranks fifth in blocked shots (3,020).

As Duncan walked off of the court last May after the Spurs were eliminated by the Thunder in their second round series, he threw up his arm, waving goodbye to the fans for the final time.

But he has remained around his former team.

Duncan has attended multiple practices throughout the season in his official role as the “Coach of Whatever He Feels Like,” a title bestowed upon him by Gregg Popovich.

He has played one-on-one with Pau Gasol to help sharpen the Spaniard’s offensive skills, advising him to be quicker with his moves to increase his effectiveness. And Duncan has even helped mentor the rookies, running three-on-three scrimmages with them after the veterans leave practice.

During Duncan’s retirement ceremony in December, Popovich told stories about swimming with Duncan in his birthplace — Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands — after drafting the rookie in 1997. Popovich talked about how he used to bring carrot cake to Duncan’s hotel room during road trips. And Popovich thanked Duncan for always remaining humble, and allowing Pop to do his job.

When Duncan took the microphone that day, the first time that he had spoken publicly since he retired, he showed a side of himself he had kept hidden from the public for two decades.

He choked back tears, thanked the crowd and his teammates, turned to Popovich and said, “You’ve been like a father to me. Thank you.”

Matt Bonner

Bonner played for the Toronto Raptors from 2004-06, before the Spurs acquired him in June 2006. He spent 10 years in San Antonio, winning championships in 2007 and ’14.

Bonner is best known for his love of sandwiches, his accurate touch from beyond the three-point line and his unique way of endearing himself to both teammates and fans.

There was also the Kobe Bryant incident.

The Lakers’ superstar famously scored 81 points against the Raptors in 2006, when Bonner was with Toronto. While re-watching and live-tweeting that game in 2013, Bryant referred to Bonner as the “Red Mamba,” a nickname Bonner embraced. It eventually helped him secure a sponsorship deal with Texas-based soda company Big Red.

After the Spurs opted not to re-sign Bonner last summer, and other teams failed to show interest, Bonner announced his retirement in a funny and self-deprecating video that he tweeted in January.

Percentage-wise, Bonner is the 15th best three-point shooter in NBA history. Over his 12-year NBA career, he averaged 5.8 points and three rebounds, while shooting 46.4 percent from the field, and 41.4 percent from beyond the three-point line.

Bonner joined the Spurs’ broadcast team as an analyst on Jan. 10.

Though he didn’t have a big retirement ceremony, the Spurs showed their appreciation for Bonner by conducting a private ceremony in their locker room on Jan. 13. One of Bonner’s signature flannel shirts was hung above his former locker, and his name and number were taped onto the long-sleeved shirt.

When Diaw was with the Spurs last season, he quickly became disgruntled. It had nothing to do with his playing time, or his teammates or his coach. He didn’t like the coffee.

Diaw drank a cup of java before games, and the only option at the AT&T Center was the watered down tasteless offering served in the media room.

So Diaw bought an espresso machine and kept it in his locker.

When Diaw was traded to Utah last July, the Spurs lost a great coffee machine in addition to a great teammate.

Diaw, who played for the Spurs from 2011 through 2016, has started in a little under half of the Jazz’s games this season. He’s averaging 4.6 points and 2.2 rebounds, a slight dip from the 6.4 points and 3.1 rebounds he averaged with the Spurs as a reserve last season.

But Diaw has helped catapult the Jazz into the playoff for the first time since 2012. And in a recent game against the Spurs on April 2, Diaw had a team-high 19 points on flawless nine-for-nine shooting from the field.

“He’s just a really high IQ basketball player,” Popovich said. “That’s basically who he is. One night it might be shots — you know he doesn’t love shooting, sometimes you had to beg him to take a shot because he’s open — other nights he goes out there and he wants to do it. He makes a steal, makes a pass, he’ll do something intelligent to help the team win.”

Cory Joseph

Joseph is best known around the Spurs’ organization for his attitude. He’s used as an example for the younger players about what can happen if they have trust in the system.

After being selected as the 29th overall pick by the Spurs in the 2011 draft, Joseph decided to use the minor league team in Austin as a tool to further his development instead of viewing it as a demotion.

He actually asked Popovich to send him to the D-League in 2012-13 so he could get the minutes he needed to actively work on what his coaches had taught him.

Then Tony Parker suffered an ankle injury in March 2013, and Joseph was thrust into the role of starting point guard.

With all of the practice he had in Austin, Joseph was able to effectively become the Spurs’ floor general, averaging 8.8 points on 58.6 percent shooting in his first five starts. He eventually helped the Spurs reach the 2013 NBA Finals.

“We went into the playoffs with Cory having carried a significant role,” Spurs general manager R.C. Buford said. “If he had not gone to Austin and sought out that opportunity, he wouldn’t have been ready for that.”

Joseph became a free agent in 2015 and signed a four-year, $30 million deal with Toronto.

This past season, he averaged career highs in points (9.3), rebounds (three) and assists (3.4).

Tiago Splitter

Splitter signed with the Spurs in July 2010, and became the first Brazilian-born player to win an NBA championship in 2014.

He averaged a career-high 10.3 points and 6.4 rebounds with the Spurs during the 2012-13 season.

Since being traded to Atlanta in July 2015, his luck has turned.

Splitter sustained a season-ending right hip injury on Jan. 31, 2016. He was then traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in February, but a right calf injury kept him off of the court for all but seven games this season.

The 32-year-old, who is making $8.55 million this season, is set to become a free agent July 1.